Swinging on Birches

One thing that I've learned over the years is that, if my calendar is up-to-date and organized, my life feels that way, too. And, although my house may sometimes function in complete disarray (what I wouldn't give for a housekeeping service!), I have found some great solutions for organizing my time and meal planning. I keep two calendars. I know, it might be overkill, but I'll explain. Online Calendar I have the best online calendar app! It's called Cozi  and it has been perfect for our family! This app allows me to input dates on my phone or computer and I can actually select which family member(s) each event applies to. For example, my daughter and I are going to see a production of Annie in a few weeks, and I can set the event so it applies to both she and I. I can also list location, set recurring events, and group my events by a particular sport or club as part of a schedule. One of the other things I love about this app is that it can be accessed as a f...

Well, we all know I'm the worst about keeping up with a blog in addition to the other requirements of daily life, so here is my admittance of guilt at being inconsistent. Great, so now I can move on. Our kids moved schools this year. They had been at a local Catholic school, and we moved to our public city schools this year. Of course, I was as nervous as nervous could be about the transition and as one of those moms who really tries to think things through before making a move. I wondered about how they would fit in and whether they would miss the smaller school atmosphere and the caring community we had come to really enjoy and the daily impact of faith that was intertwined into all of their lessons and in every subject. Of course, I discovered that most of my worries were not to be the reality we experienced. Our children having caring teachers, wonderful new friends, and are being challenged academically. They are happy and we are happy. But there is one thing that is b...

I can hardly believe August is here. I feel like I say this about every holiday, season, etc. but time just moves SO fast with kiddos. Every year, I think I get a little bit better about being organized and trying to keep things ready to manage papers, lunches, clothing, and all the other details that come with kids in school.  When the details are organized, I find that I am a much happier mom day in and day out.  So, I thought I'd share some of the time-savers that work for our family in hopes that they may work for some other families, too! And full disclosure--I am cheap. Truth. I will usually try and find something used or borrow or research a more affordable method. That being said, all blessings and gratitude to the sage genius mothers who have gone before that have taught me that some things are just worth the extra money. These are daily-use items that need to be able to take a beating. I regret every cheap backpack, lunch box, pair of shoes, pencil, and folder th...

What is it about springtime? Something in this fresh air and possibly the new life all around turns me into mush for the time when my children were smaller and not celebrating these bigger birthdays. Every ounce of my being aches to freeze time exactly where it is, but this busy season seems to pass all the more quickly the tighter I try and hold onto it. I was having a discussion with a friend the other day, and she was talking about enjoying a few hours in the afternoon of doing some "get to" things instead of "have to" things. My heart leapt when she said those words: GET TO.  YES!! How many hours a day do we spend in the minutia: the morning routine of packing lunches and making sure the correct homework folder is tucked away and "Oh, don't forget your milk money!" We fly off to work, with visions of their school days dancing in our heads. Did he remember his belt? Did I put an ice pack in her lunch box? Even though our bodies are elsew...

"Ward Christopher!!" I hollered up the stairs for what felt like the thousandth time... "If you cannot stop teasing your sister, you are skipping dinner and going straight to bed tonight!  I've had it!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- During breakfast, a song plays in the cd player.  The singer croons, " And our babies never cry, and we can look you in the eye, and say, 'I'm not afraid to die-e-e-e .'" Elliot: "What's that mean?" Ward: "It means, he's lived a good life and so he's not afraid to die now." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I looked at him a thousand times tonight. I thought about how little he still is, in some ways.  Relentlessly teasing his sister, still struggling to swim; he hasn't even lost a ...

Right about this time of year, I start freaking out. It's the "pre-birthday" time. Not my birthday (although my own years seem to be passing ohsofast ), but my son's birthday. Six, this year.  Six. This baby that we hoped for and prayed for and wept for. He came.  And he stayed. And he took our lives and shook them up and pushed them forward and took all the breath out of us. And so, as this time approaches each year and our discussions turn to cake and invitations and a couple of special gifts, my heart begins to beat at an incredibly rapid rate and I try and fit just a little bit more into the current age. More outings. More snuggling. More activities. More sitting and staring at him and squeezing him and begging him to please stop growing. I try and sit and listen more when he tells me about the ninja-ship-training station he's made with his Legos and I try harder to come up with creative answers to whether Lego Luke or Lego Obi Wan ...

Sometimes, when I'm out in public, someone asks me what I do for a living. It's an innocent question, really.  After all, much of who we are stems from what we do, and if nothing else, it allows for some polite chitchat. So, I answer.  "I watch children in my home and stay home with my kids." And then comes the look. Glazed eyes, head nodding gently, benign smile. I can practically see the wheels turning. And for many people in this world that continues to value jobs outside the home so strongly, the idea of staying home and caring for children is truly mind-numbing. And sometimes, it can be. After all, the majority of my days are spent in the mundane. Pack and unpack the travel bag. Change diapers. Start laundry. Wash dishes. Correct behavior. Read stories. Arrange play dates. Prepare meals. And the craziest thing of all? All of these mundane tasks must be repeated ad nauseam. Many times a day. Everyday. For years. But, friends, there is j...

My goal for each week is to make a menu and do my grocery shopping based on that menu. I sit down with some past menu successes and a couple of favorite cookbooks and my computer and go at it.  I do a check on our schedule for the week, and also do a quick run by the Meat Man in case there's anything in particular he's wanting. I have some sites that I will typically search when I'm looking for a recipe of a familiar food ( Pioneer Woman or Annie's Eats ), and other times I use general search sites ( AllRecipes ) or even a search engine.  I've gotten pretty good over the years at gauging whether or not something will be successful in our home just by looking at the ingredients, but every once in awhile I'm surprised by the result. I don't have a lot of patience for recipes that don't come together smoothly (who has time for that!?) and you can read more about how I choose recipes and plan our menu here . I am probably successful at menu planning...

Apparently, I needed a reminder today. Because I obviously  must've forgotten how big life can be in the moments of raising our littles. (Sarcasm font, anyone?) But, I guess that in the day-to-day, I do  forget at times. And some days, the moments are clicking snapshots in my mind. A huge squeeze from small, pajama-clad arms thrown around my neck. Click. Nursery rhymes sung loudly and off-key, complete with hand motions. Click. Gentle discussions on how to handle real life situations. Click. Raucous giggles from conspiratorial boys. Click. Kisses and hugs and reading and laughing and crying and yelling and whispering. Click. Click. Click. And I look back on the day and sigh a great, exhausted sigh of contentment, and I think to myself, these are humans  we're raising. These little people are learning in every look, every gesture, every reaction. And we, hopelessly flawed people that we are, are teaching them ...

Today is March 24th. This morning, it was 17 degrees and we had snow flurries. Today is March 24th. We've been preparing for spring a bit around here. I've been in a crazy purging/organizing frame of mind for about a month now and even the Meat Man is getting into the spirit by spending all of Saturday raking and disposing of the layer of leaves that blanketed our grass through the winter. So, even if the weather won't cooperate quite yet, I'm pretending spring is here. I saw this recipe on a girlfriend's facebook page the other day, and with a couple of minor tweaks, I knew it would be a keeper. Avocado Chicken Salad Ingredients: 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts 2 avocados, chunked 1/4 sweet onion, diced 4 T mayo (I love the mayo made with olive oil) zest and juice of 1/2 lime handful of cilantro, chopped fine *salt and pepper to taste Directions: Cook the chicken breasts thoroughly.  For this recipe, I just boiled mine for 15-20 mi...

I want to share a story. A story about a child. He came in to the world in no unusual way--sweet smelling and happy and infinitely loved by those around him. His parents spent a lot of time loving him and in the process, made a bazillion mistakes. Daily. But, they tried. They worked with him to talk, walk, hold a fork, use the potty. They laid with him in bed during bad dreams and allowed him to snuggle in their bed when he was sick. They were lucky enough to be surrounded by great friends and family and mentors. And overall, they did a pretty good job. But again, they messed up. A lot. Sometimes, they pushed him to do things he wasn't ready to do. Sometimes, they held him back when he was ready to move forward. Sometimes, they were too hard on him. Sometimes, they were too soft on him. Sometimes, they got angry when they should've been understanding. Sometimes, they let him get by with something they shouldn't have. And the years pass...

I hate February. I really do. Every other month of the year has something to offer.  Lovely scenery or holidays or wonderful occasions. The change of seasons.  Campfire to fireplace, garden to harvest. Except for February.   Nothing happens in February.  No anticipation, no holidays of note, no new beginnings.  February just marks the continuation of a winter that isn't likely to abate for another solid month, at least in my part of the world. It's the month of sameness.  Where January is the tired, happy sigh after the holiday meal, February is the leftovers. February is a hard month for me. I realized recently that maybe February is hard because its sameness lays bare my  sameness.  These days of being a mother of young ones and a caregiver to even more young ones are marked with a startling amount of sameness.   Sometimes, I think of my days as an infinite series of the tiniest steps.   There ar...

Let's talk food for a bit. I like food. My family likes food. We try and eat a lot of homemade meals that the kids will also enjoy.  But, this takes time.  And energy.  And money. Three things that all families seem to be a bit short on these days. So, I've been reading the Clover Lane blog for awhile. This mom has six children ranging in age from 19 months to 19 years.  Yup.  Busy lady. She is awesome.  She has a plethora of sage advice on child rearing and family time and simplicity, but she also shares some recipes and some amazing ideas for organizing and paring down. Which gives this mommy hoarder  collector some great ideas. She is my blog crush.  You know, the ones you read and want to post a link to EVERY post??   Yup. Anyway, she's been sharing some very simple ideas about menu planning and grocery lists using--gasp!!--pen and paper!!  (Do people even own pens and paper anymore!?)...

Ok.  If you're looking for a soup where you read the name and it sounds lovely and inviting, this isn't it. And, if you're looking for a soup that isn't a serious color of green when it's ready, this probably isn't the one you want, either. However, it's serious goodness in a bowl. Honestly.  Mr. Meat-eater loved it and so did picky young man. They ate it for dinner last night. And lunch today. And for dinner again. For me, any meal that's a hit for several meals in a row is a keeper.  We will  be making this again. I love that it's heavy enough to warm us up on snowy days like this one, but the flavor is light and fresh enough, I could see us making this in the spring, too. Here is the recipe (and like any good, experienced blogger, I took absolutely NO pictures...sigh...)  A friend passed it on to me after I was oohing and aahing over eating it at her house.  I couldn't find anything like it online, and that is too bad because...

I can wait. I'm really good at waiting. For example, each year that my husband and I exchange Christmas gifts, we manage to wait until around December 15th (give or take) to exchange gifts. And every morning, I wait until the last possible second to roll out of bed when I have to be up. And I've waited to get in a decent, consistent workout routine for years . Bad examples? Fine. I can't wait.  I'm notoriously bad at being patient and letting moments 'be' without thinking about what's coming next or what I should be doing. Sit and watch tv?  Sure, while I sew or copy recipes or plan a grocery list.  Enjoy breakfast?  Sure, after emptying the dishwasher, scrubbing the highchair and wiping down the counters.  A nice road trip?  Sure, I'll pack my books, magazines, 7000 piece puzzle (ok, maybe not).  But, you get the point. Anyway, waiting is not something I'm good at, and this Advent season, I've finally gotten the message that h...

Well, it's been a year. An exhausting, wonderful, busy, fast, slow, perfect, frustrating year. The year of the baby. 10 days old You know what would be much more helpful in the baby books or the hospital information? A reminder that the "year of the baby" is not really a year at all.  I mean, it is in the fact 365 days pass, but nothing in that year is anywhere near  normal. You will not hang out with friends.  You will not complete house projects.  You will have a LOT of dirty laundry.  You may rarely clean your house.  You will spend a whole lot of time snuggling and very little time sleeping. And that's ok. Because that year goes oh-so-fast.  And you only get to do it once in that baby's lifetime. One summer.  One fall.  One winter.  One spring.  ONE. And then ONE is here and that amazing little baby that took every ounce of your being for 12 months is getting bigger and can play by herself and explore by...

The first cut is the deepest. Isn't that how the song goes? I saw it tonight, and it shocked me into a new mama reality. Ward and I were talking about his school and how his friend, Gabrielle, is moving away next week--her dad got a new position in Alabama and they will be leaving right away. And even though he knew it was coming, he was suddenly overly concerned. "But we can go see her, right?" (Well, honey, I doubt we'll go to Alabama, but if we do, I promise we will see if we can get together with her). "But we can fly there, right mom?  It's not that far!" (Well, dear, I know it sounds easy, but it isn't that simple.  We have no reason to go to Alabama and mommy and daddy both have to work and we can't just pay for plane tickets to go on a vacation." "But why can't we build a house in Alabama right by hers!?  It's warm there and I like to be warm!" (Well, sweetheart, we live here and we love t...

Toddlers are hard. Modeling his best "angry face." Did anyone ever tell you that? I was never let in on the secret. I mean, sure, I heard about the "terrible twos" and all of that. But, we floated through two. Seriously.  Two was an awesome year.  Tons of sweetness, lots of learning, joy abounding. We thought we were home free. For real. But, then came three.  Ohhhhh, three. Don't get me wrong, we have AMAZING moments with him everyday.  Seriously.  Cuddles and giggles and dancing and reading and laughing.  The good stuff. On his third birthday last spring. But three has come with a whole new set of challenges. Fits and yelling and stomping and arms crossed and whining oh my. Who knew that talking and knowing would come with opinions and determination and frustration?  Everyone else?  Oh.  Got it. And as a parent, you sort of expect those things, right?  I mean, you know that no matter what, you're goi...

Wardie's participating in swim lessons.   Remember those?  Your little body shivering in the cold water, the instructor urging you to trust, teaching you how to cup your hands, straighten your knees, kick your legs.  Blowing bubbles in the water.  Getting the courage to duck your head under for just the quickest moment just to come up, sputtering and gulping, to catch that breath of air. Do we ever learn how to properly breathe underwater? Miss Elliot turned 8 months old last week.  My baby is 2/3 of the way through her first year.  Ward is going to morning Montessori preschool and taking swim lessons two nights a week.  We're considering soccer this spring.  I am watching (in addition to our children) between two and four other children each day.  I just started coaching club volleyball again.  I became the Board President of the local Food Bank.  I deliver food once a month to another location through our church.  ...